Vertebrate Damage Management

Resource Guide

Who Deals with Animal Damage Problems?

Animal
damage management is a specialty within the wildlife profession that is
practiced by a number of national agencies, local agencies, licensed pest
control operators, and specialty firms that manage nuisance wildlife.The U.S. Department of Agriculture
has a division called Wildlife Services or “WS”.Wildlife Services has nationwide
responsibilities for managing wildlife damage problems.Wildlife Services has agents in all states,
and within each state, many counties share the cost of salary and expenses of
an animal damage control agent, often known as “the county trapper”.Wildlife Services also has a major research
program investigating the feasibility of various lethal and non-lethal control
methods.Many urban areas also have
animal control officers who deal with wildlife, as well as stray dogs.Many federal agencies, such as the Fish and
Wildlife Service, Forest Service, National Park Service, and Federal Aviation
Administration, have specialists who deal with animal damage problems.The Cooperative Extension Service in each
state provides advice on controlling animal damage problems.The state fish and wildlife agencies also
invest substantial time and personnel to damage complaints

or by calling (402) 472-2188.Catalog of Publications, University of Nebraska, Institute of Agriculture and
Natural Resources.http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/

“Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage" is recognized
as the premier reference book in
the field of wildlife damage management.The
latest edition of the "Handbook," published in 1994, is available
as a two-volume, 850-page book or as a CD-ROM.It contains 77 chapters on all wildlife species that regularly cause
wildlife damage and nuisance problems in North America.Each species chapter includes an identifying
illustration, quick- reference management outline, and sections on identification,
general biology, damage identification, legal status, economics, prevention
and control methods,

and references.In addition, the Handbook includes chapters on identification and assessment,
obtaining assistance, wildlife diseases, vertebrate pesticides, sample pesticide
labels, and a directory of supplies and materials.The Handbook emphasizes an integrated pest management (IPM) approach
through the use of cost-effective non-lethal methods and safe, selective use
of lethal control methods when justified.

The USFWS's
major responsibilities involve migratory birds, endangered species, certain
marine mammals, and freshwater and anadromous fish.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's mission
is, working with others, to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, and
plants and their habitats.

The county animal control
offices can also refer you to local wildlife transport and relocation services.

Wildlife Damage Web Resources

The InternetCenter for Wildlife Damage Management -

An exceptional source for a wide range
of current information sponsored by several universities and the USDA.This site includes the complete Prevention
and Control of Wildlife Damage Handbook on-line in PDF format.Also available on-line are complete
proceedings of wildlife-related workshops and symposia; an extensive list of
wildlife publications from 40 universities; searchable database; a list of
services and products from their growing vendor list; upcoming meetings.http://wildlifedamage.unl.edu/

TexasA&MUniversity—Wild Things / Wildlife Damage

This site also includes the complete Prevention and
Control of Wildlife Damage Handbook on-line in PDF format.It also provides a searchable database.

Tomahawk Live Traps.The Original
Live Trap.An extremely well designed line of
live-traps.This site offers live-traps of all sizes,
from mouse to beaver to large dog.They
supply most other tools for animal damage control in urban areas.